


Scenes From Domesticity

by Starofwinter



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Genderfluid Character, Jango is a very tired dad, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-11
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2018-08-08 05:26:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 6,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7744981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starofwinter/pseuds/Starofwinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Short fics from a Modern AU where Jango successfully raised nine kids.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is honestly fluffy what-if wish fulfillment.

“Rise and fucking shine, motherfucker.” Rex yelped as Fives flipped his mattress, upending it and sending him crashing to the floor. “You’re gonna be late for your date if you don’t get the fuck up.” He was on his feet in seconds, chasing his younger brother out as Fives laughed so hard he could barely run, breathlessly calling for Cody or Jango to save him. 

Jango barely spared him a grunt as he drank his coffee - he wasn’t about to do a blessed thing to save his second-youngest from his own stupidity. “Leave enough pieces of him to do the damn yardwork,” he muttered, rolling his eyes as Rex raced past, still bent on murder. He was relatively sure he wouldn’t actually kill Fives. Maybe. It’d be a good object lesson, either way.

Rex finally cornered his brother in the laundry room, only to stop short as Fives grabbed Tup, shoving him between himself and their furious, still half-asleep older brother. “Save me, vod,” he whined between breathless laughter.

“Fuck no.” Tup easily ducked the stranglehold, flipping Fives off as he wandered to the shower. “You did the crime, you do the time.” He snorted as he heard the strangled squawk from behind him, shutting the door to muffle the sounds.


	2. Chapter 2

“Buir?” Tup said softly, “Can I talk to you?” 

Jango looked up with a slight frown at the hesitance in his youngest’s voice. He wasn’t sure what would make Tup so shy - he thought he’d taught all of them that they could come to him for anything, and he’d never heard any of them sound so hesitant. “Sure you can, ad’ika, come on in.” He set aside his book, turning off the TV as well. 

Tup perched on the chair across from him, turning his bracelet around and around on his wrist. Jango waited patiently; he knew whatever he had to say was tearing him up inside. Tup had always worn his heart on his sleeve, and if it had him this twisted up, then it was something big. “Buir, you know how…” he stopped to bite his lip, still not meeting Jango’s eyes, “So you know how some people aren’t always… they kind of realize that they aren’t really… they’re not boys or girls, they’re both at different times?” He kept chewing on his lip, looking down at the links on his bracelet.

“Yeah?” Jango prompted gently. Alright, so he hadn’t been expecting this, but he could handle it. “That’s how you feel, huh?” 

Tup nodded, his shoulders hunched. 

“Alright, that’s okay. There’s not a thing wrong with that,” Jango smiled slightly as Tup looked up at him with wide gold eyes, “We’ll always accept you, no matter what. You tell us who you are, and we’ll have your back.” He opened his arms, and Tup immediately dove into them. Jango caught him with a soft groan, chuckling. “Hey, listen, adika. I’m proud of you, alright? That was a damn brave thing you just did, and you still did it, even though you were scared.” He held Tup close, running his fingers through his hair the way he had when he was just a tiny thing. 

“I don’t want to change anything, not yet, but I’ll let you know, okay?” Tup’s voice was muffled by Jango’s chest, but his smile was audible.

“You do that. Like I said, you’re the only one that gets to determine who you are. Not me, not your brothers, not anybody. Just you. We’ll always be right behind you, though. We’re a family.” Jango brushed a kiss to the top of Tup’s head, smiling as he held his son close.


	3. Chapter 3

“That’s my sweater,” Rex said, and he rolled his eyes when Obi-Wan just looked smug, the man snuggling a little deeper into his couch, almost drowning in his stolen attire. “I need that, you know.”

“You could always wear one of mine,” Obi-Wan offered with a shrug, clearly not intending to give the sweater back anytime soon.

Rex just stared at him. “You’re joking, right?” He had enough muscle that he could easily pick Obi-Wan up - something they’d _thoroughly_ tested just hours before - and he was well aware that he was not going to fit in one of his boyfriend’s shirts. “I’m not raking the leaves in your shirt.” He was well aware that the majority of his family still lived down the street, the rest would find out within minutes, and not a single one of them would let him live it down for the rest of his natural life.

“Well, when you put it that way, I certainly wouldn’t mind the view of you without one,” Obi-Wan teased, and Rex threw up his hands and went to put on the damn shirt. He ignored his boyfriend’s eyes on him when he walked out to finish the yardwork in a black t-shirt that clung to him like a second skin.

It was worth it later, when he came in cold and tired, and Obi-Wan wordlessly handed over a cup of hot chocolate before settling himself against Rex’s chest while they watched something mindless on TV. He even chuckled when Obi-Wan leaned up to whisper in his ear, “It looks better on you than it does on me.”


	4. Chapter 4

“You expect me to walk home with you dressed like that.”  Obi-Wan eyed his partner, lips set in an expression of utter exasperation.  “You’ll catch cold, for one thing.”  

Rex smirked at him, his hip cocked as he crossed his arms over his ( _very broad, very inviting, very **bare**_ ) chest.  “I thought you liked the-” he coughed, unable to hide his grin, “ _Hunky Firefighter_ costume.”

“I did.  But it’s forty degrees out, and I am not going home with you gallivanting about without a shirt, on Halloween, no less.”

“I have suspenders.”  The costume _had_ come with a shirt, but it was really just to fake muscles, and Rex was pretty sure he didn’t need any help on that front, not with the way Obi-Wan’s eyes had gone stormcloud dark when he walked out wearing the costume the first time.

“Yes, do let me know how warm your suspenders will keep you,” Obi-Wan said, before shaking his head with a fond smile as he shrugged off his jacket, “It’s been years since I needed to share my coat with someone I was going steady with.”

Rex just grinned and kissed his cheek, laughing as they walked out together.  “I bet I know how many years, just from the fact that you used the phrase _going steady_.  Haven’t you heard from your students, it’s dating now.  Or hooking up.”

“You don’t want to know _what_ I overhear from my students.  Especially since they’ve seen me being picked up by a _hunky firefighter_.”  Obi-Wan smiled up at him, the two of them walking home side-by-side.


	5. Chapter 5

Jango follows the sound of howling upstairs to the game room to see half his kids sprawled around the room, watching the TV with rapt fascination.  Fives is sitting on the floor, cursing a blue streak and arguing in broken Mando’a and Basic with a kid who’s sitting upside down in one of the chairs, her long legs hooked over the back as she laps Fives again in- is that  _ Mario Kart _ ?  He thought he’d gotten rid of all their copies after the last incident.  She whoops in triumph as she crosses the finish line, punching the air in joy.  He clears his throat to interrupt just as Fives looks like he’s about to throw his controller, and Caliber manages to flip herself right side up with a lot more grace than Jango was sure he’d ever managed at her age.  She bounds over to practically fling herself into his arms, and  _ gods all what is his brother feeding this kid _ ?  “Ba’vodu Jango!” she says with a grin, and he chuckles.

“Hey, Cal’ika, you done kicking my boy’s ass?”  Fives yelps something Jango pretends not to hear and he can hear Echo muffling a laugh (Wolffe doesn’t bother and a scuffle ensues, he pretends not to hear that either).  

She beams up at him - shit, what _are_ they feeding her, the last time he saw her, she was barely to his shoulder, now she’s taller than Tup.  “Four to two.  We’re playing to six wins because he won’t admit he sucks.”  
He chuckles and pats her head, dislodging the hat that’s keeping a mess of curls out of her face.  “Tell you what, ad’ika.  Winner faces me.”  Her smile takes on a sharper edge, and she throws herself back into the chair, grabbing her controller as Fives tosses it to her.  Jango just settles in to watch the show.


	6. Origins

The sound of the doorbell jerks Jango out of a sound sleep, and he checks the time even as he reaches for the pistol under his pillow.  There’s no one he can think of who’d show up at kriffing midnight without prior warning, and Jango isn’t stupid enough to think he hasn’t made enemies capable of tracking him down, even in the middle of a suburb in Coruscant City.  There’s a second knock on the door, and he makes his way downstairs, and curses under his breath as he peers through the curtain to see golden eyes looking up at him.  He stashes the gun on the shelf behind the door before he opens it.  

It’s the kids.  Jango looks down at the nine -  _ nine  _ \- boys standing on his porch, Tup in Rex’s arms with a diaper bag slung across his chest, Cody holding each of the twins’ hands.  “It’s almost midnight, what are you kids doing here?” he asks, his voice a little rough with sleep as his heart rate finally slows down enough and he can get a good look at all of them.  There are duffel bags next to the older boys, and he feels something clench in his chest.  What the  _ fuck _ was Kamino playing at now?  

“Mother said we’re staying with you for a little while,” Bly says, looking up at him with wide eyes, and he has to bite back a growl.  Of course she’d turn them out at fucking midnight, why wouldn’t she?  Typical-

“She said she’ll call,” Wolffe interrupts his mental diatribe, and his tone says he agrees with Jango’s private assessment, and that he knows just as well as Jango does that they won’t be hearing from the boys’ mother for a damned long time. 

They’ve been separated for a few months, and he still has the kids more often than not, while Kamino goes off to do… whatever the hells she does when she disappears.  He doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to.  She’s always resented him, for some reason he still doesn’t understand.  Whatever the problem was then, now he has something a lot more important to worry about, like feeding nine hungry kids for an unknown period of time, and making sure they’re properly taken care of (at least it’s summer, and he doesn’t have to worry about getting them all to school every day).  He thinks about the food he has left in the pantry - he just got back from an extended mission and he’s pretty sure most of it’s gone bad by now - and sighs.  “Hey, how does the diner sound?”  At their cheers, he chuckles and lets them pass to bring in their bags.  Alright, he can do this.  He hopes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for gender dysphoria

Tup looked into the mirror, tugging at his shirt and running a hand over his hair.  He really hated the feeling that turned his chest cold and made him feel a little nauseated every time he caught sight of himself.  He tilted his head, trying to catch an angle that looked  _ right _ , and for a second, he had to swallow hard to hold back a frustrated sob.  

“Tup’ika, are you ready to-”  Fives’ eyes caught his in the reflection in the mirror and he stepped into the room.  “Hey, hey, what’s with the long face?  You okay?”  He crossed the room in a step to catch Tup’s shoulders.

He shook his head, closing the distance between them to let his older brother wrap him in his arms.  “It doesn’t look right -  _ I don’t look right _ .”  His voice broke on the last couple of words and he buried his face in Fives’ chest to hide the way his eyes burned with tears.  “I’m never going to, because there isn’t-  There isn’t a right way  _ to  _ look, it’s always changing, and I hate it.”  He couldn’t help the words as they spilled out, frustration and an ache he couldn’t describe written in every one.  

Fives shushed him gently, running his fingers through his hair as it spilled around his shoulders.  “Hey, hey, easy, it’s okay.”  He rested his chin on the top of Tup’s head, letting his little brother tuck himself against his chest the way he had when he was still six and scared of thunderstorms.  That was a lot easier to help with than this.  “Udesii, vod’ika.”  He didn’t know how to help with this, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to  _ try _ .

Tup closed his eyes, finally giving in to the shuddering sobs that had threatened before, frustrated and helpless.  He hated it.  He didn’t want to feel this way, but there wasn’t any way to  _ fix _ it.  It was a little easier to let go when Fives was there, hugging him and making little shushing noises, it didn’t make anything  _ better _ , but he didn’t feel as helpless or alone anymore.  “‘m sorry, I know we were supposed to go out for the movie, I was just… I was trying to get ready and nothing  _ feels _ right, and I just-”  He sniffed softly, still keeping his face buried in his chest.  

“Hey, we don’t have to go out if you’d rather just stay here - I think we’ve got enough stuff for those cookies you like, and I know Dad just got that new Bond movie, we can watch that if you want.”  Fives tilted Tup’s chin up, smiling as his little brother wiped his tears and nodded, the hints of a smile on his face.  “Put your pajamas back on and get downstairs, I’m not baking three dozen cookies by myself, especially when you’re eating most of them anyway.”  He ruffled Tup’s hair before heading out, smiling when he joined him a little while later, singing along to the same shitty pop song playing on the radio, wearing a brighter smile than he’d seen in days.  He might not always understand what his little brother was going through, but he’d always be there to help.


	8. Chapter 8

“Buir, it’s-”   _ Fuck, another nightmare _ .  Jango’s moving before Tup can finish his sentence, and he reaches the bedroom across the hall just as Wolffe sits bolt upright with a cry on his lips.  He catches his oldest just before he pitches himself off the bed - instinct, though born of  _ what _ , Jango thinks he’s too much of a coward to find out.  

“Shh, shh, you’re home, Wolffe.  It’s alright now, son.”  Jango wraps his arms around Wolffe as he sits down, holding him close when he practically buries himself in his father’s chest with a choked sob.  There’s no shame in it, not when Wolffe was just a tiny thing, dreaming of the monsters in his closet, and not now, when the monster that is his memory decides to wreak havoc in his dreams.   “I’ve got you, it’s okay.  Shh, ad’ika.”

Wolffe clings to him, struggling to fight through whatever flashback decided to haunt him tonight.  “-sorry, I’m sorry, buir-” he manages; hells, Wolffe hasn’t resorted to calling him that since he was ten, and it breaks Jango’s heart a little more.  

He presses a kiss to sweat-dampened hair.  “It’s alright, you’ve got nothing to apologize for, you hear me?  It’s alright.”  He doesn’t know how to help with this, and that hurts more than anything else.  Wolffe’s taking all of it hard - active duty military is bad enough, Jango knows that from experience, but fuck, having it all cut short by a fucking bomb might have been worse.  He remembers how  _ proud _ Wolffe had been when he finally graduated, standing tall in his uniform, beaming with joy and fierce, fearless pride.  It’s always been his dream, to serve like his old man had, and Jango would be lying if he wasn’t proud of his son.  Wolffe had the makings of a decorated officer, and he didn’t doubt that he would go far if he followed his plans of making a career of it.

Then the news came.  A bombing, most of Wolffe’s company wiped out.  He almost hadn’t survived, but he was back on American soil, in the hospital.  Bly hadn’t even hesitated when he offered to keep an eye on his younger brothers, and his words were burned in Jango’s memories as a moment of clarity in the blur of the day -  _ just bring him home, Dad _ .   

Wolffe had spent the first few days unconscious, and Jango had stayed awake as long as possible, his hand on his son’s.  He could barely tear his gaze away from him; everything looked  _ wrong _ , from Wolffe’s pallor to the bandages that covered half his face.  Shrapnel, they said.  It should have killed him.  Jango spent every agonizing moment of those days begging the Manda not to take his son.  The look on Wolffe’s face - what he could see behind the bandages - had wrecked every ounce of his self-control when his son woke up and quietly, with a tremble in his voice, asked, “Buir, why can’t I see?”

The next days-weeks-months have been hard.  Wolffe is still quietly seething fury that his future, the one he’d worked so damned hard for, the one he’d meticulously planned, the one he wanted more than anything, is  _ gone _ , snatched away in an instant.  He keeps it hidden around the younger boys, Tup especially, but he’s resentful and angry.  His temper isn’t aimed at anyone, and Jango can check him more often than not, but it leaves him cagy and snappish when things get bad.  Other times, it swings the opposite direction.

Like now, when Wolffe is all but curled up in his lap as he cries himself out, sobs shaking his whole body, and all Jango can do is hold him close and whisper empty promises that everything will be okay.  He doesn’t know how yet, but he’ll tear down the whole damned earth and sky to ensure it.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did we really think I wouldn't bring angst into this AU?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Cody got his scar

There were some calls Jango hadn’t been prepared to take.  

“ _ Mr. Fett, this is Doctor Windu, from Valorum Memorial Hospital.  There’s been an accident with your son, Cody.  He’s stable, but you should come in, _ ” was high on that list.  For a second, the floor drops out from under him, and he can’t hear anything but a rush in his ears.  “Mr. Fett?”  And just like that, he comes back to himself and goes into mission mode.  There will be time to panic later.  He’s  _ going _ to panic later, just not  _ now _ .  

“I’m on my way.  Is Rex with him?”  He hears his voice like it isn’t his own, and his thoughts are calm and focused, the way they are on a job.  Pack Tup’s bag, carry him to the van, buckle him into the car seat.  He keeps the phone tucked against his shoulder the whole time, listening to Windu explain what happened.  From what they could get out of Rex, he and Cody had been playing at the top of the jungle gym, and Cody slipped and fell.  There’s a laceration - it will scar, Windu says, and there were stitches needed - and a concussion, but nothing else.  He sends a grateful prayer to the ancestors for that, and tells him he’s on his way.  It still doesn’t feel real, but he shakes it off and calls his brother to pick up the younger boys when they get out of school.  Wolffe is likely on the bus home already, he’ll be alright till the rest of them get there.  

The ride to the hospital is shorter than he remembers, and he’s inside in minutes.  “Buir?”  Rex’s voice is hoarse from crying, and the knot in Jango’s chest unwinds a little.  “Buir, I’m sorry, it was my idea, I told him we should climb up there, I didn’t mean for him to fall, I’m sorry-”

Jango crouches down and holds out the arm not cradling Tup, who is still mercifully not fussy, and Rex launches himself to press his face into Jango’s chest, sniffling and crying again.  He closes his eyes, holding his little boy close.  “Shh, it’s okay.  It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean to, I know.  I’m not mad at you, I promise.”

“You’re not?”  Rex looks up at him through his shaggy bangs and sniffles again.  “But I got Cody hurt.”

“You didn’t mean to, did you?”  Jango waits till he shakes his head.  “And you won’t do it again, right?”  Another quick shake of his head.  “Then it’s over with.  It’s okay, ad’ika.”  He holds Rex to his chest again, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.  “Now come on, let’s go see your brother.”

Windu is just stepping out of Cody’s room when they get there.  “He’s just waking up, he’ll be a little disoriented at first,” he glances at Tup and Rex, and the older boy clings a little tighter to Jango’s sleeve, “It’ll be better if you’re all there, I think, as long as everyone is quiet; he was asking about you.  He’ll probably still have a headache for a bit, but it should go away.  I’ll have a nurse make up a packet for you to take home with the discharge papers.  Your son is very lucky, Mr. Fett.  This could have been much, much worse.”  Jango nods and heads into the room.  All the time in the world couldn’t have prepared him for the sight of his boy in a hospital bed.  Cody looks pale, and there’s a bandage that looks like it takes up half his face, starting from the hairline on the left side and running down to his cheek.  Still he smiles at them, and tries to sit up a little.

“Hey, ad’ika, how are you feeling?”  Jango sits at the edge of his bed, running his fingers through Cody’s hair while Rex sticks close to his side, looking guiltier than ever.

“My head feels funny.”  He tries to scrunch up his nose, but clearly the effects of the local anesthesia they’d given for the stitches hasn’t worn off yet, and he just huffs in annoyance.  “Rex, are you okay?”  He looks over at his brother, who looks like he’s about to burst into tears again.

Rex bites his lip hard and nods.  “I’m sorry, Cody.  I didn’t mean for you to get hurt.”

Cody gives him a lopsided smile and pats the bed.  “It’s okay, vod.  Hey, I’m gonna have a  _ wicked _ scar.  It’s gonna be so cool.  But you gotta help me come up with a better story than falling off the swings, okay?  Like… fighting a bear or something.”

Jango smiles as he listens to the two of them as they spin wild tales, all their fears and worries forgotten now that Cody is okay.  It’ll take a little longer for his own heartbeat to get back to normal, but for now, things are alright.


	10. Chapter 10

Aayla looked up from her book as Bly finally walked in, looking more than a little exhausted.  “Seku’s finally asleep?” she asked and he nodded, not answering aloud as he strippped down to his boxers.  She smiled; Bly gave her a tired grin when he caught her appreciative look.  

He climbed into bed, curling up against her and putting  an arm around her waist.  “ _ Finally _ .  Took three lullabies and two chapters of her book, but she’s asleep.”  He kissed her cheek and nuzzled her until she giggled and shoved him off.

“Not till you shave, Bly  _ eswo _ ,” she said, before kissing him anyway, “Now go to sleep, I have to finish this for tomorrow, and you’re distracting me.”  

Bly pouted at her, which only made her laugh harder and roll her eyes before kissing him again.  He gave in and settled down, his head on her shoulder.  “I’d have thought you would have this memorized by now.”

Aayla shook her head.  “In Ryl, but not in Basic.  And this is a new translation.  Do you want me to read it to you?”  She ran the fingers of her free hand over his hair and he hummed in contentment, nodding.  She started reading out loud, smiling as she heard his breathing even out only a few lines later.   _ Like father, like daughter. _


	11. Chapter 11

“Dad, what am I doing?”

“What do you mean, ad’ika?”

“I mean… having a kid… anything could happen.  She’s so small, Dad, she’s just so little.  Anything could happen to her, or-  What if something happened to Aayla, or me?   I just-  I don’t know what I’m doing.  I helped with the kids, but this is different-  you were always there, and it wasn’t-  She’s  _ my  _ kid.  How did you do it?”

“Bly, hey, listen to me.  It’s scary as all hell, I know.  Scared the shit out of me the first time the nurses handed you to me, all of nineteen and holding my first kid in my arms.  You were so damn tiny, I was terrified I was gonna drop you, or feed you wrong, or whatever.  It was rough, the first few months, and I never got any less scared.  But you know what I did?”

“What?”

“I promised you and I promised myself that no matter what, I was gonna do the best I could by you.  I fucked up a few times along the way, but I’m damn proud of you.  You turned out better than I ever could have imagined back then, and most of that was all you.  So yeah, you gotta get used to being scared, but you’re gonna do just fine by that little girl.  And don’t forget, you’ve got Aayla.  She’ll keep you on the right path, just trust each other, forgive yourselves, and you’ll do alright.  Hell, you’ve got me and your brothers too.  You’ll make it.”

“Okay… okay, I can do this.  I can.”

“Sure you can.  You’re gonna be alright.”

“Hey, Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks, for everything.  I love you.”

“I love you too, Bly.”


	12. Chapter 12

Kriff, Jango is getting too old to go on long hunts now.  Between that and the kids, he just doesn’t have the energy to keep up anymore.  He stumbles a little as he makes his way into the house, and it’s only a  _ lot _ of experience that keeps him from making a sound as he struggles to get his gear squared away without waking up the kids.  He manages to drag himself to his room after, and stops in his tracks.  

All nine boys are piled in the bed - Wolffe and Bly are sitting up against the headboard, with Tup in Wolffe’s lap, curled up against his older brother’s chest.  Fives and Echo are tangled up together, and so are Rex and Cody.  Kix is sound asleep on Jesse’s broad chest.  Jango’s chest tightens with love and pride, and suddenly, the exhaustion from the job rolls off his shoulders.  He at least got in a shower before he came home, so he toes off his boots, drops his jacket in a heap in the corner to deal with later, and climbs into the small space left for him on the bed.  Bly shifts over without waking, and Rex reaches out, his hand curling around Jango’s sleeve.  The boy smiles in his sleep, settling back down to lay his head on Fives’ shoulder.  

Jango falls asleep in minutes, feeling better than he has in days.  


	13. Chapter 13

“I don’t wanna do it.  I’m scared.”  Echo clung to Jango’s pants leg, looking up at him with wide gold eyes.  There was a huff of irritation that could only come from Fives, and Jango gave him a stern look before glancing at Bly.

“You mind taking them to get ready?  I’ll meet up with you in a second.”  He gave his oldest - already wearing his basic training buzz cut - a little smile, and Bly nodded, lifting Tup to his hip and taking Fives’ hand; the others ran off at his heels, leaving them alone.  With that finished, Jango crouched to Echo’s level, looking into his eyes.  “Are you sure you don’t want to do it?  I’m not going to force you to if you don’t.  We’ll just hang back and watch.”  Jango ignored the voice of his Uncle Walon in the back of his mind, telling him he needed to toughen his boys up - that was  _ not _ how he was going to raise his kids.  

Echo swallowed hard, scuffing his foot as he bit his lip.  “I want to, but… I’m scared.  It’s really high, and I dunno...”   He reached out to take Jango’s hand when he offered it, whispering, “Are you gonna be there, Dad?”

Jango’s chest tightened.  “Yeah, kiddo, I’m gonna be right there.”  He gathered Echo in his arms, rubbing his back a little as his little boy clung to him.  “I’m always gonna be right there behind you, you know that?”

Echo nodded quickly.  “I know, Dad.  Can I watch a few times first and then decide?”  

“Sure you can.  I’ll wait with you.”  Jango ruffled Echo’s hair as he squared his shoulders and lifted his chin, a shaky smile on his lips.  “You’re being brave, I’m so proud of you.”  That earned an even brighter smile, and Echo took his hand, walking with him to meet with the others.  Jango didn’t say anything, but he knew he would never quite get over the feeling of his sons’ small hands wrapped around his, and while it wouldn’t be for a long time yet, he would miss it one day.

“Took you long enough,” Fives said, but he gave his twin a smile and wrapped his arms around him, “C’mon, you can watch me go first, I’ll show you how to do it.”  His fearless smile and shining eyes made Jango smile in response and ruffle his hair just as he’d done for Echo moments before.  

Just as Jango expected, Echo waited all of two turns before demanding to be allowed to get in line.  He took to it like a natural, whooping as he slid down the zipline to the ground before racing back to get in line.  The brilliant smile he wore was all Jango needed to see.  His boys were happy, and that was enough for him.


	14. Chapter 14

“Dad?”  

“In here.”  Jango brushes sawdust off one of the nearby chairs, and wipes it down before nudging it toward Tup.  “Test it out.”  He smiles as his youngest gingerly sits on the chair, folding himself up once he’s sure it’ll hold his weight - it was  _ one time, _ but Tup hasn’t trusted his carpentry since.  He should be offended, but he can’t be, not when it was his own fault for not checking the bolts.  

Jango goes back to his sanding when he sees Tup picking at the hem of his skirt.  He isn’t sure what’s making him so nervous, but he knows scrutiny will only make it worse.  “I- um, I wanted to talk to you about something,” at Jango’s nod of acknowledgement, he takes a deep breath and continues, “I don’t want to be in the military.”  Out of the corner of his eye, Jango sees the kid’s hands shaking as he tugs at a lock of hair.

“Alright.  You planning to go to college then, or something else?”  Jango can’t deny that it’s a  _ relief _ that Tup won’t be following his or his brothers’ footsteps.  It’s not that Tup  _ couldn’t _ make it in the military, but  _ fuck _ , Jango thinks it might kill him to see his youngest harden up the way he sees when he looks in the mirror, or when he looks at his older boys.  Even in a non-combat position, the military takes a certain kind of hardness, and Tup is… Tup is soft, and light, and everything  _ good _ Jango always fought for.  Seeing him lose that would hurt more than a bullet, and maybe it’s selfish, maybe he’s playing favorites, but gods of his ancestors, Jango is so damn grateful to hear those words.

Tup doesn’t answer at first.  “You’re not mad?” he finally asks, his hands going still and falling to his lap.  

“No, ad’ika, not at all.  What you do with your life is your choice to make, and with a couple of exceptions, I’ll support you, anything you want to do.”  He turns just as Tup throws himself into his arms, hugging him tight, face buried in his chest.

“Thanks, Dad.”  

Jango smiles and presses a kiss to the top of his head, holding him close.  


	15. Chapter 15

Rex smiles as he drapes his arms around Obi-Wan’s waist, relaxing outside next to the fire pit that Wolffe and Jesse have kept burning for hours.  It’s getting close to midnight, and the weather is cool enough that he can see his breath against the night sky.  Aayla is dozing against Bly’s shoulder, with Seku asleep in his lap - Bly himself looks close to joining them.  Tup is sprawled across Wolffe, Fives, and Echo, their lanky brother having fallen asleep on them hours ago.  Wolffe and Fives are arguing quietly about some show they’re watching on Fives’ phone, and Echo rolls his eyes when he catches Rex looking.  Kix and their dad are inside, packing up boxes of food for everyone to take home.  

“I like this,” Obi-Wan says quietly, “It’s nice, having a big family.  I always dreamed of that when I was younger.”  He laces his fingers with Rex’s, settling comfortably against his chest.  “For the longest time, it was just Qui-Gon and I, and then he married Shmi, and brought Anakin.  Still, it was mostly just Anakin and I, with them traveling so much.  And Ahsoka, once we started babysitting her, but… it wasn’t the same.”  

“You weren’t together,” Rex offers, hoping he’s guessing right at what Obi-Wan is trying to say.

“I suppose so.  We were always apart, even on holidays.  I never realized just what it was like.  Thank you for sharing this with me.”  Obi-Wan’s smile is sweet and a little sad, and Rex kisses his ear, where he knows his boyfriend is ticklish - it gets the soft laugh he’d hoped for, and he grins.

“Always, cyare.  You’re our family now.”


	16. Chapter 16

“I’m a terrible father,” Jango confesses as he collapses into Shaak’s kitchen chair, slumping with his head in his hands.  She pours them each a cup of tea, and splashes a little whiskey in his.  He whispers a soft  _ thank you _ as he takes a sip.

“What’s going on, Jango?  You sounded…  _ stressed _ when you called earlier.”  Shaak sips her own tea, looking utterly flawless.  How she managed it, he had no idea.  

He glances at the door, but Cameron is already gone with the kids, herding all of them to the park.  “I can’t do this.  I’m not cut out to be a father.  Fives got in trouble for saying  _ fuck _ at kindergarten, Echo got in trouble for repeating it, Rex keeps getting annoyed with him for repeating  _ everything _ \- and so do I sometimes - then Wolffe became a grouchy bear overnight the kriffing second he turned fourteen, he and Bly have been fighting over  _ everything _ , now Tup isn’t sleeping through the night for some reason, and  _ stars _ I’m fucking tired.  What if I’m really not cut out for this, Shaak?  What if I’m just not a good parent?”

“Jango, you’re a wonderful father.  You took in  _ nine children _ in the middle of the night, with no warning.  All of these things are normal,” she says, her tone soothing and gentle, “You’re overwhelmed, and there isn’t anything wrong with that.”

“It’s  _ normal _ ?  But I read about parenting, and it just seems like all of these people  _ get it _ and I’m missing something.”

She shakes her head.  “You see the good parts, what they write about and what they want you to see.  You’re not seeing all of it - every parent gets frustrated, they have nights where nobody is going to sleep, when Caliber is asking for water every five minutes, when they wake you up because someone got the flu and they’ve been sick all over the bed, when you have to send them outside to play because if you hear  _ I’m bored _ one more time, you’re going to scream.  It’s  _ normal _ to have bad days.  But the good you do makes up for those days.  You’re doing the best you can, and you’re being patient, and that’s the important part.  That’s what they’ll remember when they’re our age, even if they don’t realize it now.”  Shaak Ti smiles and reaches out to rest her hand on his.  “Jango, no one is perfect, not even you.  Stop expecting yourself to do everything right, and just focus on  _ right now _ .”

He sighs and runs his other hand through his curls.  He wants to believe her.  “I just… I want to do right by them.  I want to give them better than what I had growing up, yeah?  I want them to be happy.”

“And that’s how I know you’re a good father.  Look, why don’t you bring them over more often - you can take a break, we’ll watch them for a little while, it’ll be good for all of you.  You don’t have to do this alone.”  

Her soft smile is what finally dissolves the tension that’s built in his shoulders, and he nods.  “Thank you, for that, and for all of this.”

“You’re my brother, Jango, you’re welcome anytime.  I know what it’s like to worry that you aren’t good enough.”  

“You?  Really?”

Shaak Ti laughs.  “All the time.  But I just focus on  _ one good thing _ , and the rest come in time.”  She opens her arms, and he hugs her, sighing.  “Now, there’s a couch that should be mostly free of toys.  Go take a nap while you have a chance.”  She shoos him off, and he grins.  

“Yes ma’am.”


End file.
